ValleyCare News

LIVERMORE, CA -- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) recently awarded ValleyCare Health System’s, 26-bed Skilled Nursing Facility, on the ValleyCare Livermore campus, a FIVE-STAR overall rating. This is important because while all skilled nursing facilities are under the same state and federal guidelines, not all adhere to them in the same manner.

“We are very pleased to receive this five-star rating, said Marcy Feit, ValleyCare CEO. “It’s another indicator of ValleyCare’s commitment to providing the highest quality of medicine to all who come under our care."

The scores are derived from three performance measures including: state health inspections; staffing levels and quality measures. ValleyCare scored above average in state and national averages for quality measures which include administering appropriate seasonal vaccines and pneumonia vaccines. “ValleyCare is also unique in its staffing,” says Meriam Signo, MSN, RN, NE-BC director of ValleyCare Skilled Nursing Facility. “Other facilities of this nature typically employ registered nurses (RN), licensed vocational nurses (LVN) and certified nursing assistants (CNA). Our Skilled Nursing employs more RNs than other facilities allowing us to provide a higher level of direct patient care.” According to CMS, ValleyCare also scored “much above average” from unannounced, onsite health inspections, thus giving ValleyCare the overall five star rating.

CMS states that the Five-Star Quality Rating System was created to provide consumers, their families, and caregivers an easy way to understand assessments of nursing home quality, making meaningful distinctions between high and low performing nursing home facilities.